Listen to the article
Nikolai Molibog, chief executive of the Russian media holding RBC, has described Uzbekistan’s advertising market as a compelling growth story while making clear his company has no current plans to enter it. Molibog spoke to Kursiv Uzbekistan on the sidelines of the Third Uzbek-Russian Media Forum, which opened in Tashkent on 9 November.
The advertising market in Uzbekistan had grown several times over in a comparatively short period, Molibog said, and that trajectory was what drew RBC’s attention as a privately held, profit-oriented company. He did not provide specific figures for the market’s size or growth rate.
Despite the interest, Molibog was explicit that RBC remains focused on Russia and is not pursuing international expansion. He framed the forum itself as a possible starting point for future joint projects rather than a signal of imminent market entry.
Partnership as a precondition
Molibog argued that any media company venturing beyond its home market risks a fundamental misreading of local audiences. “I am deeply convinced that, when entering as a player from one country, you must come in partnership with someone, rather than arriving in a different environment with your own rulebook,” he said. “Sometimes there is an illusion that we know everything. But no — we know nothing beyond our own audience. And probably, beyond it, you need to be with partners.”
He reiterated that the expressed interest in Uzbekistan should not be read as a declaration of intent to launch operations there.
The forum provided the backdrop for a broader discussion of Uzbekistan’s media landscape. Presidential spokesman Sherzod Asadov, speaking at the opening session, said private outlets now account for 67 percent of the country’s media, with the total number of registered media organisations standing at around 3,000.